Rod Canion

Joseph Rodney Rod Canion is an American computer scientist and businessman who co-founded Compaq Computer Corporation in 1982 and served as its first president and chief executive. Born on 19 January 1945 and a native of Houston, he earned bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Houston in 1966 and 1968, with an emphasis on computer science. Before Compaq, he, Jim Harris and Bill Murto had been senior managers at Texas Instruments, and the three founders were backed by the venture capitalist Benjamin Rosen. Under Canion the company set records for first year sales and reached the Fortune 500 and one billion dollars in revenue faster than any other company. In 1991, after Compaq reported its first loss, the board removed him in favour of Eckhard Pfeiffer. In 1992 he founded Insource Technology Group, and in 2013 he published the memoir Open, which became the basis of the 2016 documentary Silicon Cowboys.